DOT Invites Public To Hear I-84 Viaduct Plans

Planners studying what to do about the aging stretch of I-84 above Hartford are estimating at least a 13 to 18-year period for designing and building a replacement. (Patrick Raycraft / Hartford Courant)

HARTFORD — State engineers planning the replacement of the I-84 viaduct are holding a round of public meetings in West Hartford and Hartford to try to reduce the number of options on the table.

The multibillion-dollar project will shape traffic patterns and influence the city's character for decades, so the transportation department is working to get as much opinion as possible before settling on a specific strategy.

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The viaduct is the elevated structure that carries I-84 through the middle of Hartford. The three primary options are to simply build a new viaduct, run the highway through a tunnel, or construct it at ground level. Each choice carries a long series of related options that will affect nearby neighborhoods, local businesses and the downtown street map as well as cyclists and pedestrians.

Anyone interested in the project is invited to two public meetings. DOT engineers will give presentations outlining the progress that's been made so far, and will then field questions from the public.

The meetings both run from 4 to 8 p.m.. They're scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Elmwood Community Center on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, and Oct. 29 at the Hartford Public Library on Main Street.

The sessions start with an open house where the public can view maps, diagrams and descriptions of every alternative that the DOT is considering. Staff will be available to answer questions individually, and then will provide full-scale presentations at 6 p.m.

Depending on which configuration the DOT chooses, the new highway could free up acreage beneath elevated ramps, reduce noise and improve safety for drivers using Hartford entrances and exits. Some neighborhood groups are eager to see the roadway brought to ground level or below to reduce the visual impact, and others believe that removing the viaduct and its massive concrete supports would reunite neighborhoods that were split when I-84 was built in the 1960s.

Engineers are determining whether the new stretch of I-84 should be on the same footprint as the viaduct, or moved. Alterations could improve the system of interchanges, but also could require acquiring nearby properties. Designers also must take into account the extensive underground utilities in the area, the Park River and the Amtrak line that crosses under the viaduct.

Choosing a specific construction plan will also affect the cost. The DOT's preliminary estimates suggest an all-tunnel option would be several times more expensive than simply putting up a new, better designed elevated highway. The various options for a highway at grade level or in a trench partly below grade level would cost somewhere in between those two choices.